Chapter 236: Do Me a Favor

Wielding a club, Gu Fei weaved nimbly between the thugs, striking one on the leg and the next on the head.

Tie Niu didn’t stand idly by. Although he knew Gu Fei was a capable fighter, he saw four grown men and worried she couldn’t handle them alone. He charged forward and started pummeling one of the thugs without a second thought.

Xiao Lu and Pingzi, however, weren’t family like Tie Niu was. They didn’t dare get involved. They were just workers and didn’t want to bring any trouble upon themselves.

Aunt Liu, who had been wiping tables, saw the commotion, grabbed a broom by the door, and charged out. She began swinging it wildly at the thugs.

The men were just common thugs with no real combat skill. Er Laizi got the worst of it from Gu Fei. She smashed her rolling pin against his head several times, so hard that it finally cracked on the last blow. Er Laizi clutched his head, writhing on the ground.

Meanwhile, Tie Niu used his youth, strength, and height to his advantage, knocking another man to the ground.

Gu Fei swung her club again, striking a thug in the knee. His leg buckled, and he collapsed.

That left Aunt Liu, who was relentlessly smacking the last thug over the head with her large broom.

The thug shielded his head and face with his hands, yelling, "Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me—" Seeing all his buddies on the ground, he turned and fled.

Gu Fei gave Er Laizi a vicious kick as he lay on the ground. "Get lost! Show your face here again and I’ll kill you!"

Clutching his head, Er Laizi staggered to his feet. Gu Fei then noticed that his head was split open, fresh blood seeping from between his fingers.

"You ruthless bitch," Er Laizi snarled. "Just you wait. You’ll regret this."

After spitting out his threat, Er Laizi and the remaining two thugs helped each other up and limped away.

Gu Fei’s eyes narrowed. ’Having Er Laizi cause trouble every day is no solution. I have to find the person backing him.’

An idea sparked in her mind. Her gaze shifted, and she noticed a young beggar squatting in a corner. She walked over to him. "Do me a favor," she said. "Find out where that Er Laizi is staying tonight."

As she spoke, she dropped a handful of Copper Coins into the young beggar’s chipped bowl.

The young beggar moved with lightning speed, scooping the Copper Coins into his robes. He flashed Gu Fei a grin, revealing a few teeth. "Don’t you worry, Manager Gu. As soon as I spot him, I’ll come and tell you."

Gu Fei smiled. She watched as the young beggar darted off, quickly catching up to Er Laizi’s group and then tailing them at a discreet distance.

Reassured, Gu Fei went back into her shop and smiled at the customers. "My apologies for the scare, everyone. To make it up to you, I’ll take twenty percent off everyone’s bill."

A customer laughed and replied, "Shopkeeper, your fighting style is impressive, and so is your character!"

Beaming, Gu Fei returned to the kitchen to continue cooking.

Around seven or eight in the evening, the young beggar returned. He didn’t enter the shop, but stood at the doorway and called out, "Manager Gu—"

Gu Fei hurried outside and asked in a low voice, "Where are they?"

The young beggar lowered his voice as well. "They’re in a house with a secret door on the west side of the city. It’s not easy to find. I’ll take you."

Gu Fei was about to head out, but she stopped and asked the young beggar, "Have you eaten dinner?"

The young beggar answered sheepishly, "Manager Gu, I’m lucky to get even one meal a day. I don’t really have things like ’breakfast’ and ’dinner’."

"Then wait a moment." Gu Fei went back inside, grabbed two steamed buns from the kitchen, and said a quick word to Er Lang before heading out again.

She handed the buns to the young beggar. He tucked one into his robes and immediately began to devour the other.

The two walked along the street for nearly half an hour. Finally, the young beggar pointed to an alley. "It’s down here. The third house on the right."